You will learn about main British holidays, celebrations and festivals ( Twelfth Night, Burns Night, Valentine's Day, St. David's Day, Shrove Tuesday, Lent, Mothering Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Easter, April Fool's Day, St. George's Day, Trooping the Colour, Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, Swan Upping, Notting Hill Carnival, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Remembrence Day, Advent)

1. Holidays, celebrations and
festivals in Britain

2. January
1st New Year's Day (a public holiday)
5th Twefth Night
25th Burns Night
February
14th Valentine's Day
March
1st St David's Day ( in Wales)
17th St. Patrick's Day (a public holiday in
Northern Ireland)
March/April
Shrove Tuesday
Lent
Mothering Sunday
Maundy Thursday
England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Good Friday ( a public holiday)
Easter
Easter Monday ( a public holiday in
April
1st April Fool's Day
23rd St George's Day (in England)
May
May Day ( a public holiday)
Spring Bank Holiday ( a public holiday)
June
Trooping the Colours
Wimbledon Tennis Tournament
July
12th Orangemen’s Day ( a public holiday in
Northern Ireland)
Swan Upping
August
Notting Hill Carnival
Summer Bank Holiday ( a public holiday)
October
31st Halloween
November
5th Bonfire Night
11th Remembrance Day
30th St Andrew's Day (a public holiday in
Scotland)
December
Advent
25th Christmas ( a public holiday)
26th Boxing Day ( a public holiday)

3. Twelfth Night and Epiphany (January 5–6)
Epiphany (крещение) is a Christian holiday that
celebrates the coming of the Magi (волхвы)after
the birth of Christ.
Some people attend a church service on this day.
In the UK, some think it to be bad luck to leave
Christmas decorations up past the day of
Epiphany, so many people choose to take them
down on January 5, which is also known as
"Twelfth Night."
Some people have parties and serve Twelfth Night
cakes, with one dried pea (горошина) and one
dried bean (фасоль) baked into them. If you get a
piece of cake with a bean or a pea, you are
crowned "king" or "queen" of the evening.

4. Burns Night (January 25)
Burns Night is celebrated in honor (в
честь) of the Scottish poet Robert
Burns (1759–1796). He is best
known for writing the song, "Auld
Lang Syne," which is traditionally
sung at midnight when New Year's
Eve becomes New Year's Day. Many
Scots celebrate Burns' Night by
eating haggis, a pudding made from
sheep offal (потроха) and other
ingredients, and reading the poet's
works aloud with company. One
such work, entitled "Address tae the
Haggis," is a particular favorite.

5. Valentine's Day (February 14)
In the UK, couples (пары)often
celebrate Valentine's Day by giving
gifts to one another and sending
Valentine cards. Many couples also
spend the evening celebrating with
a special meal.
St. David's Day (March 1)
St. David's Day commemorates
(чтит память) St. David, the
patron- saint of Wales, who
spread (распространил)
Christianity throughout the
country. Many people go to
church services this day.

6. Shrove Tuesday ( Pancake Day)
(Day Before Lent)
Shrove Tuesday (Жирный Вторник) takes place before the
start of Lent (пост) and is celebrated by Christians across the
country by making and eating pancakes.
In some places people hold "pancake races," in which they run
a distance while flipping (подбрасывая) pancakes in a frying
pan (сковорода). In order to win, contestants (участники)
must cross the finish line as quickly as possible without
burning (or dropping) breakfast.
This tradition is said to have started with a housewife from
Olney, Buckinghamshire, who loved cooking so much that
when the bells rang for church, she ran for the service with her
pan still in hand.

7. Lent (March/April)
Traditionally, Lent (пост) is a 40
day period when religious people
stop doing some things that they
enjoy, for example eating fat
food or meat. The first day of lent
is 40 days before Easter, so its
starting date varies
(варьируется) from year to year.
Mothering Sunday
(4th Sunday of Lent)
On Mothering Sunday children
usually congratulate their
mothers by giving them a gift and
a card and taking them out to a
special brunch or lunch.

8. Maundy Thursday
(Thursday Before Easter)
Maundy Thursday (страстной четверг) (also
called Holy Thursday), is the beginning of the
three day celebration of Easter. Maundy
Thursday celebrates the Last Supper of Jesus
Christ with the Apostles.
Many people go a traditional church service
on this day.
There is a tradition when the Queen gives
Maundy Money in red and white bags to a
group of elderly people. The money in the red
bag is money for food and clothing while the
money in the white bag is the Maundy coins
the number of which match the Queen’s age.
Easter (March/April)
Many people go to church on
Easter Sunday to celebrate the
resurrection (воскрешение) of
Jesus Christ. Modern celebrations
also often include decorating
eggs and holding Easter egg
hunts, during which eggs are
hidden for children to find.

9. April Fool's Day (April 1)
Like in other countries, April
Fool's Day in the UK is when
people play practical jokes on
one another.
St. George's Day ( England's
National Day) (April 23)
St. George's Day celebrates the
life and death of St. George, who
is said to have defeated
(победил) a dragon. There are
usually parades, parties, and the
flying of flags with "St. George's
Cross."

10. Trooping the Colour (June)
Every June, there is a public celebration of the Queen's birthday called Trooping
the Colour (вынос знамени), though her real birthday is in April.Trooping the
Colour is a military (военный) parade. It is a ceremony performed by more than
1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians.
«Trooping the colour» comes from the days when the colours (flags) of the
different regiments (полки) of the British army were displayed (выставлять на
показ) ( or trooped) during the battle so that soldiers could easily see their unit
(отряд) when they were on the battlefield, because it used to be quite easy to
get lost in a battle.
The Trooping the Colour parade officially begins when the Queen leaves
Buckingham Palace in a golden carriage (карета). She travels down the Mall in
front of crowds towards Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall, near to Downing
Street.
When the Queen gets there, she is greeted by a royal salute(приветствие) from
the soldiers on parade.

11. Wimbledon Tennis
Tournament (June/July)
The Wimbledon Tennis
Tournament (or "Wimbledon") is
the oldest tennis championship
in the world and is the most
prestigious. It typically begins on
the last Monday in June and lasts
for over two weeks.
Swan Upping
(Third Week of July)
Officially, all of the swans in England
belong to (принадлежат) the Queen.
Every year in July, an official census
(перепись) is taken of all the swans
living on certain parts of the River
Thames to check they are still there!
The swans of the Thames are
ceremonially caught and released
(отпускать). . Many celebrate this day
by going to the River Thames and
watching a procession of swans and
traditional boats.

12. Notting Hill Carnival
(Last Monday in August)
On this day, there is a street
festival that millions go to see
and participate in every year. The
parade includes colorful floats
(платформы), bands (оркестры),
and many other attractions.
Halloween (October 31)
Much like in the United States,
people dress up in costumes, bob
for apples, and have bonfires on
Halloween night. Many go to
parties and children go trick-or-
treating.

13. Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) (November 5)
Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated on the 5th of November each year.
The story behind it goes back to 1605, when a man called Guy Fawkes
wanted to blow up the British Houses of Parliament with a Protestant
king inside. He was caught and executed (казнен) and to celebrate
this people create a ‘Guy’, a dummy (чучело) made out of straw
(солома), paper and other materials, and burn it on a bonfire! It is
also celebrated with fireworks, bonfires in public parks and schools as
well as in people’s gardens.

14. Remembrance Day
(November 11)
Remembrance Day commemorates
(чтит память) the men and women
who died during World War I and
World War II. It is held in
November with people wearing
red poppies (маки) in their
pockets.
Advent (December 1–24)
Advent starts on December, 1
and lasts until Christmas Day. It
celebrates the coming of Jesus.
Some use interactive calendars
with a small treat (угощение)
for each day of December
leading up to Christmas.